If you’re ready to undergo a website refresh, here are 10 things you should update. Whether you do it yourself or with a designer, these are actionable steps to get you started.

1. Refresh your images.

I wrote a blog post all about how to choose quality, strategic images during your website refresh. This is the same resource I give to my clients to help them feature only their best work. Take a look here.

2. Read through your copywriting in the mind of your ideal client.

Copywriting, also known as the text on your website, should be written with your ideal clients’ needs prioritized first. One quick tip to check if your website is geared towards your ideal client is to read through your copy and count how often you use “I” and how often you use “you”. When you talk about what you do for your clients, try to phrase your copy in a way that prioritizes the word “you”.

3. Add more Call to Actions, or refresh the ones you have.

A Call to Action is basically what it sounds like – it’s a spot on your website where you ask or tell your website visitors to take action. This could be leading them to a contact form, encouraging them to make a purchase, or giving them more information about your services by sending them to your services page or a blog.

A website refresh is the perfect time to optimize your website’s layout by taking a look at these. Part of this is taking a look at the flow of each page – are website visitors guided through where to go? Do you remind people to check out your About page, to book a call at your Contact page, or to learn more about your niche/experience on the Blog?

Take a look at each page, and I bet that you will be able to add at least 1-2 extra buttons to each page without cluttering it.

4. If you’ve redone your branding before your website refresh, update your logo and brand colors on the site.

Here’s the hard truth that not everyone wants to here: if your branding doesn’t work, then your website refresh won’t give you as much of a return on investment. Branding is a huge pillar of a successful website, and it’s important to make sure it’s refined before you go through the time or financial investment of a website refresh or complete redesign. You can read more about how to tell if your branding is doing its work for you in this blog post.

Want to refresh your colors yourself? Download my free brand colors guide here:
https://emilyfostercreative.com/brand-colors-freebie

5. Think through your packaging and pricing, and update as needed.

Use your website refresh time to strategize about what’s working with your current packages, how you can serve your clients better, and where you might need to adjust your pricing. This is also a good time to think about whether you should add your pricing to your website (if you don’t already have it up) or whether you should take it down (if it’s been on your website, but you no longer need or want it up). 

6. Run your website through a broken link checker.

Broken links in your buttons can hurt your website SEO, so make sure you run your website through this free online checker. Fixing broken links is an easy way to boost both your website experience and your potential to rank higher on search engines. 

7. Connect your website to Google Analytics if you haven’t already.

Hopefully you’ve connected your website to Google Analytics so that you can track website visits and where they’re coming from. If you haven’t already, it’s a free tool, so go do that. If you signed up for Google Analytics with the UA or Universal Analytics version, it’s important that you transition to using the G4 version. As of July 1st, 2023, Google will switch to tracking website data with the G4 version of Google Analytics only. If you’re reading this after July 1st and are still using UA, that means that your website data hasn’t been tracking since July.

Wedding professional SEO expert and one of my business friends, Sara Dunn, put together a helpful blog to show you how to update to the G4 version of Google Analytics.

8. Give a website refresh to your mobile version.

If you’re a service provider, chances are that the majority of your customers are finding you or looking at your website on mobile. Take a good look at the mobile version or your website and make sure that photos and text are visible. Also make sure that your branding is applied correctly, including colors and fonts. Most importantly, make sure that people can easily contact you through mobile. 

9. Consider adding new pages to your website and optimize those for SEO.

You can always get more in-depth with the information you provide to website visitors. While you want to make sure information is streamlined and easy to find, adding more pages can increase your opportunities of getting found on Google – if you do it strategically. Here are some pages you can consider adding that could improve your website visitor experience:
1. A detailed services page for each of your packages (i.e. Day-Of Wedding Planning, Family Portraits details, etc.).
2. A client experience page – let people know what it would be like to work with you.
3. A resources page – you can use this real estate to add extra value for your clients. Share a freebie, link to podcast episodes you’ve been on, or provide a checklist. 

10. Brainstorm blog topics for the next 1-2 quarters.

You can never really blog too much. Consistency is good, but it can be hard to stay consistent when you run out of ideas. I keep an ongoing list of blog ideas for my own business on my computer, so that I can refer back to that. Then, when I have the time to sit down and write a blog post, it’s easier. And honestly, I don’t have enough time to get to all my blog ideas.

I recommend sitting down for 30-60 minutes and writing down questions you get asked by your current clients or people you talk with on sales calls. Then, think through what your answers would be to those questions. Now you have a kickstart for your next blog post! Having these topics handy for your next CEO day will help with that writer’s block. You can also keep a note pad on your phone with ideas for blog posts as they come to you. 

When in doubt, consult with a professional designer.

This is just an extra tip that I throw in here. Redesigning a website can be overwhelming, and a website refresh is no small feat. Even within my own business, I find it overwhelming to carve out the time to get to website updates. If you’re overwhelmed or confused on where to start with your website refresh, don’t be afraid to get support. Whether it be with me or another designer, most of us are very happy to help you through the process. Most designers also have various packages to fit all budgets where you can get different levels of support.

If you want a low-budget way to work together on your website, a website audit could be perfect for you. I offer $300 website audits, where we spend a dedicated hour together. I also record the call so that you can refer back to it as you’re actively working on your website. Contact me to book your website audit.